Billfold clip



BILLFOLD CLIP original Filed Aug. 22, 1956l C. A. ANDERSON ""mffxfffza Feb. 25, 1958 l INVENTOR. CARL A. ANDERSON ATTORNEY FIG. 5

United States Patent O BILLFOLD CLIP Carl A. Anderson, Cranston, R. I., assignor to Anson, Inc., Providence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode Island Original application August 22, 1956, Serial No. 605,656. and this application May 13, 1957, Serial No.

1 Claim. (Cl. 150-38) This invention relates to improvements in bill fold clips and more particularly to the mechanical means which position the clip in open or closed position.

An object of the present invention is to provide mechanical means of a simple, inexpensive, fool proof and compact construction for retaining bills in a prearranged order and then be able to remove any single bill without disturbing the arrangement or order of the remaining bills.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unique detent type mechanical arrangement which will yieldingly hold the bill fold clip in selected position.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent in part and be pointed out in part in the following specication and claim.

This invention is an improvement over United States Patent No. 2,597,967 issued May 27, 1952, and Canadian Patent No. 487,001 issued October 7, 1952, for a Bill Fold and of United States Patent No. 2,785,722 which issued on March 19, 1957, for a Bill Fold Clip and is a division of Serial No. 605,656 led August 22, 1956.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a bill fold containing the new and improved bill fold clip.

Figure 2 is an end view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view in section of the bill fold clip, with the clamp shown in full lines in closed position and the clamp shown in dot and dash lines in open position.

Figure 4 is a left hand end view of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a modilied form of spring control of the bill fold clip.

Figure 6 is a side view in section of a modified form of the bill fold clip showing two clamps instead of one clamp.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the ears used for securing the housing to the body.

Figure 8 is a right hand end view of Figure 3.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the improved bill fold clip consists of a bill fold 10 generally fabricated from leather and folded to form a U-shaped bend in which is secured the bill fold clip assembly 11. This arrangement is well known in the art.

The bill fold clip assembly 11 consists of a housing 12 generally U-shaped, see Figures 2 and 4. A body 13 shaped to be accommodated in the U of housing 12, is undercut to provide an end wall 14 and an underside 15. Two sets of ears 16 and 17 are formed in housing 12'and they secure body 13 in position within housing 12. A plunger 18 is slidably mounted in the chamber 20 formed in the undercut between underside 15 and housing 12. Body 13 is shorter in length than housing 12 so that housing 12 extends beyond end 21, thereby providing an area in which the projection 22 of plunger 18 may freely slide. Projection 22 is provided with a face 23.

A single clamp 24 is pivotally mounted by means of pin 25 in housing 12 with the cam surface 26 on linger 24 abutting face 23. Clamp 24 is preferably ornamental in shape having a knob 27 and linger grip 28 for utility purposes. A coil spring 30 is located in chamber 2t) between end wall 14 and side 31 of plunger 18.

In operation, clamp 24 is yieldingly held against surface 32 of body 13 by means of plunger 18, under the influence of spring 30, acting against cam surface 26.

Figure 6 depicts a modified form of Figure 3 in that two lingers 24 and 24A are employed in place of one finger 24. In effect Figure 3 is merely reduced in size to provide two spring actuated plungers 18, 18A in place of one spring actuated plunger 18. Housing 12 is provided with opposite ends similarly constructed. Body 13 has two undercuts instead of one, leaving a wall 33 for the springs 30 and 30A to abut. The two plungers 18 and 18A are slidably mounted in chambers 2t), 20A respectively. The operation of the mechanism is the same for Figure 6 as for Figure 3 except that two lingers 24, 24A rest on surface 32 instead of one linger 24.

Figure 5 shows a further modified form of spring control of clamp 24. In place of plunger 13, spring 30 and body 13, housing 12 may be solid or tubular as long as one end or both ends, as the case may be, is provided with a U-shaped chamber 42 housing a pin 25 upon which is pivoted clamp 24. A spiral spring 40 is mounted around pin 25 with one end secured to pin 25 and the other end secured to clamp 24. Thus clamp 24 is yieldingly held in selected position.

In all constructions as shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6, lingers 24 and 24A must be yieldingly constructed so that they can be pivoted to open position as shown by the dot and dash positions in Figure 3.

A decorative member 41 may be used to cover the U bend in the bill fold 10 and serves the utilitarian purpose of squeezing the bill fold 10 tightly around housing 12. An adhesive may be employed to insure security of binding of the bill fold 10, bill fold clip 1l and decorative member 41 into a single unit.

Having shown and described preferred embodiments of the present invention, by way of example, but realizing that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

In a bill fold of the type having covers interconnected by a hinge about which said covers may be swung to and from open and closed position and a spring clamp for retaining bills therein, that improvement in said spring clamp which comprises a housing provided with a chamber in one end, a pin secured in said housing, a clamp pivotally mounted in said chamber on said pin, a spiral spring coiled around said pin with one end secured to said pin and the other end secured to said clamp to yieldingly hold said clamp in selected position.

No references cited. 

